Farm Bureau Work in New York State for 1914 2183 



Recommendations for further work 



It is recommended that tabulations be made by agent and manager, 

 that outlines be worked out to return records, and that records be re- 

 turned in person by appointment and a 19 14 record obtained during this 

 visit. The agent will need to devote nearly a month with the manager to 

 this work. 



ALLEGANY COUNTY PROJECT 



On January 5 the agent with the Allegany County Farm Bureau started 

 a project. The manager had taken about thirteen records. The agent, 

 and manager took twenty-one more records during the week of January 5. 

 The manager plans to finish the records alone. The agent will work 

 up the records and help him in making tabulations and outHnes. 



TOMPKINS COUNTY PROJECT 



The agent worked two days, January 12 and 13, with the manager of 

 the Tompkins County Farm Bureau. Nine records were taken. The 

 manager expects to take the rest of the records this winter. The agent 

 will compute them and help the manager in making tabulations and in 

 working out an outline. 



G. P. SCOVILLE, 



New York Farm Management Extension Agent. 



Mr. 



SAMPLE LETTER USED IN RETURNING SURVEY RECORDS 



TO FARMERS 



Ithaca, N. Y., October 17, 1914. 



R. D. 51, 



Sherman, New York. 



Dear Sir: 



Enclosed please find an outline of your farm business as you gave it to me last month. 

 This outline is arranged to figure what the fanner makes for his labor. 



To do this it is first necessary to find the total capital invested in the farm, stock, 

 tools, and the Uke. Your capital as shown at the beginning of the outline foots up to 

 $7473. A list of the receipts and expenses follows: Your receipts of $1204 exceed 

 your expenses of $849 by $355. In the expenses is not included the value of j^our own 

 work. This $355 represents what is left for your pay together with what the capital 

 should earn. 



If we figure the interest on your capital of $7473 at the common rate of 5 per cent 

 it would amount to $374. This interest exceeds the net receipts of $355 by $19. The 

 farm lacked $19 of having a labor income. 



The printed figures to the left of the items are averages of the better paying farms 

 that we visited about Sherman. This shows in dctaU their business, which resulted 

 in an average labor income of $1342. There are of course a number of conditions that 

 influence farm profits, but three of them arc so important that they almost always 

 account for the farm's success or failure. On the other side of the outline these factors 

 are shown for your farm in comparison with all the farms studied about Sherman, and 

 with the better farms. 



The study of several thousand farms in New York State (Cornell Bulletin 349) 

 shows that it is very important to have a fair- or large-sized farm and business. The 

 chances of doing well in general farming and dairying increase very rapidly as the size 

 of the farms increases up to 175 acres. The large farms have a greater income and 

 use machinery and labor to better advantage. 



Your farm is a little smaller than the average of the best farms. Your receipts are 

 only a little more than a third as large as theirs. To make as good a labor income as 



